The best and brightest restaurant companies are not just creating one great concept; they’re creating many. See Restaurant Hospitality’s picks for powerful multi-concept companies that not only play it cool, they kick ass.
Rockit Ranch Productions
Headquarters: Chicago
Units: 6
Key Personnel:
- Billy Dec, c.e.o./founder
- Arturo Gomez, president/partner
- Brad Young, chairman/founder
- Kevin Hickey, partner, director of f&b, executive chef/partner Bottlefork
SINGLE CONCEPTS:
- Rockit Bar & Grill (a culinary twist on traditional bar and grill fare)
- Rockit Burger Bar (chef-driven cuisine in a party atmosphere)
- Sunda New Asian (showcasing Eastern and Southeastern Asian regional cuisine)
- Underground (one of the “sexiest” nightclubs in the world, says Cosmopolitan)
UPCOMING PROJECTS:
- Duck Inn (new American menu opening in Chicago’s Bridgeport neighborhood in the fall)
- Rockit Bar & Grill (a renovation of the 10-year-old brand due next spring)
WHY IT’S COOL: Rockit Ranch c.e.o. Billy Dec isn’t your average stuffed-shirt company head. We’re pretty sure he was a troublemaker in college and is likely one today, albeit a very smart one who knows how to throw a party that makes his accountants and legions of fans very happy. His restaurants cater to a young, hip crowd where the settings are as important as the food. Perhaps he’s learned the importance of place from his nightclub—Underground—which is a sensory explosion of mad fun. Meanwhile, Rockit Ranch is a party, and Dec is the guy having the most fun.
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